Assessing the 9th-thru-15th Draft Picks the last 5 Seasons
The Minnesota Vikings 2020 season ended really before it even started, although the idea of mathematical hope kept a lot of us more invested than we really should’ve been. Sure, they looked good in spurts, but too much needed to NOT happen for them to make a legitimate run at a post-season birth (by which I mean, the damning mistakes in all three segments of the team needed to stop).
But hope can be fun, as can believing in something.
With that in mind, I thought I’d fast forward to my favorite time of the NFL year which I have dubbed “The Pretendies”. The Pretendies are the time before both the draft and free agency where anything is theoretically possible, and teams like the Vikings may just somehow trade up in the draft for X, or break the bank in free agency for player Y (even though my Xbox starts on fire every-time I try the same move with the salary cap/logic turned on in Madden).
With the Vikings now cemented somewhere between the 9th-and-15th pick in the 2021 Draft, I thought it’d be fun to look at what picks have been taken between 9 and 15 in the last five drafts to really start these pretendies with a bang!
First up? You guessed it, Frank Stallone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx0sVbWjMDo
I mean, the 2020 Draft!
2019 NFL Draft
Dwayne Haskins, obviously, is the one that got away. Not just a once in a life-time talent and better yet, person, but he very well could solve Global Warming with his perfect dime or a deep ball.
I’m being sarcastic. Obviously (hopefully).
2018 Draft
2017 NFL Draft
2016 Draft
For the record, this is the position breakdown across five drafts:
QB: 3 (Deshaun Watson, Dwayne Haskins, Patrick Mahomes).
That’s a great haul, actually. Outside of the increasing disaster that is Haskins, thems some good quarterbacks. This might open up the door to those who, for some reason, want the Vikings to draft the QB of the future. However, this team would have an elite offense if the reigns were removed, so drafting a back-up would do nothing to improve the issues they have right now (and if the last 40 years are any indication? Probably won’t turn into much (which isn’t by itself an argument for not trying, but, it’s a variable)).
Running Backs: 0
This isn’t a huge surprise, as outside of a few “sure things” (Ezekiel Elliot, Saquon Barkley, Frank Stallone); running back by committee seems to be the status quo (thanks, PFF). You can land guys like Dalvin Cook in the second-half, too, which helps GM’s wait.
WRs (4): Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, Corey Coleman, John Ross
Mmm… Ruggs has had a ho-hum rookie year (~ 400 yards and 2 touchdowns), Corey Coleman never eclipsed more than that, nor did John Ross. Jeudy has been the best of the bunch, with over 700 yards and two touchdowns.
Obviously everyone points to Justin Jefferson in regard to the 2020 Draft. Which, is just amazing, as the Stefon Diggs trade had every variable needed to go down as another Herschel Walker esque nightmare. Instead, the Vikings ended up winning out on this trade (with more picks yet to come and the inevitable Diggs feeling “betrayed” time-bomb that’ll come in about… *licks thumb to feel direction of the wind* 18 months).
https://purpleptsd.com/the-diggs-trade-is-not-over/
Offensive Tackle (7):
This is where I’ll leave this article (for now), or maybe one more, as the Vikings may be in the market for a left tackle in 2021. Realistically, though, I really would love for the purple to draft OG Wyatt Davis, the sure thing plug-and-play left guard from Ohio State.
Reilly Reiff has had a good year, despite the fact that he’s played next to Dakota Dozier (who has been a liability for most of the season). I’ve got some inside information I’ll share with you all soon, but this line is in disarray in a way that borders on neglect IMO.
This line needs a massive philosophical overhaul, which won’t happen until Zimmer is gone. So, instead, grab Davis who could be the new Steve Hutchinson next to Garrett Bradbury (who needs all the help he can get at this point).
Tune in tomorrow for more draft analysis and stay tuned for our upcoming draft site, TheDraftTeamdotcom.